9 June 2025

Flight to Hainan

Hello! I haven’t posted for a while, but I am back again! Today, my parents and I boarded the plane at 11.25a.m. to fly to Hainan in China. We were going Haikou first.

Our flight took off a short while later. We took Hainan Airlines. It was a 3 hour flight ✈️.

Soon, Hainan came into view and we landed safely. First, we went to our hotel 🏨, Intercontinental, to check in. After resting for a while, we headed to our first destination — Qi Lou.

Qi Lou

At Qi Lou, we took a few pictures with the interesting buildings first. Looking around, I saw several undergoing renovations too.

As we walked around, I spotted a few statues made of metal. They were beautifully crafted and I could not stop but take a few pictures with some! Memorable statues we saw include a bronze man sitting on a real bench and two other men dressed differently talking together.

Next, my parents and I headed into an alley where there was a local wet market selling all sorts of fresh produce ranging from fish to prawns. Many of the people there used scooters and motorcycles as their mode of transport. It was quite busy and there was a primary school located there too.

Afterwards, we went back and found a shop selling coconuts along the way. We ordered one coconut jelly and one drink. The jelly was topped with peanuts and it was absolutely scrumptious!

As we went sightseeing again, another shop selling yummy treats came into view. We got two more bowls generously topped with red beans, green beans, watermelon slices and more! One of them was in coconut milk and even had ice cream. The other dessert had coconut flesh and they were both absolutely flavourful.

When we were done eating, we went on to explore more of Qi Lou. It was quite peaceful and there was a lot to see. A short while later, it was time for the next attraction.

Century Park

We arrived at Century Park on a Didi. The view was spectacular with the warm glow of the sunset and the slight sea breeze. I ambled along the pathway, taking more photographs along the way.

Occasionally, some shops would appear in sight. A few minutes later, we came across a library shaped like a cool spaceship 🚀!

I wanted to enter the library, but I was closed. Sadly, I could only look in through the huge windows. Inside, there was a large brown wooden staircase leading upstairs. Bookshelves lined the steps and it looked cosy.

After peeking at the library, we walked around the park. I spotted our hotel and a bridge too! As we enjoyed the view, we could not help noticing our rumbling stomachs. Thus, it was time for dinner 🍲.

HCC and Dinner @ Ye Xiao Ji (椰小鸡）Chicken Inside Coconut 🥥

Ahh… Air conditioning! I was at HCC, a mall beside our hotel 🏨. It was very clean inside and there were many restaurants there. We decided to eat our first dinner here at Ye Xiao Ji (Chicken Inside Coconut 🥥) on level four.

Entering Ye Xiao Ji (Chicken Inside Coconut 🥥), we were guided to a table. We placed our order and waited a while for a steam pot to be placed on the stove in front. There were a few coconut slices, corn cobs, water chestnuts and papaya wedges inside. However, the soup was no where to be seen.

I was just about to ask when the waiter came forward with several large, green coconuts 🥥. He took out a tiny knife and sliced off the top of each one. Thereafter, he took them one by one and emptied the coconut juice into the pot. Oh! So that’s the soup.

We waited for the coconut juice to boil before another waiter added in some pieces of tender chicken. After we tasted the broth, a whole platter of signature Hainan snacks and dishes came. There was fish cake, noodles and fruits too! We were also served watermelons 🍉 and vegetables, along with their local herbal tea 🍵.

After the hearty meal, we decided to take a stroll along Fishermen’s Wharf. I walked back to our hotel while enjoying the marvellous night sky. It was stunning.
What a lovely beginning to our holiday!